Ontario Rat-7 vs. Swamp Rat Camp Tramp

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pastorsoup

Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
145
I can't decide which to buy. I have found the Rat-7 priced at $75-$80. Haven't been able to find the Camp Tramp for that good a price. From what info. I have found, both seem to be excellent blades. If you have owned one or both of these knives, please pass on any suggestions. Thanks! :)
 
I've used the RAT7 for a year now with no complaints. It's easy to get very sharp and holds a good edge like a carbon blade should. It has good ergo's for normal cutting, holding the back part of the handle for chopping and choking right up for fine work - it also comes in a very good spec ops sheath. The full tang/micarta scales make it very strong for non-cutting survival/field work - for me that's been using the butt as a hammer and occasional digging. It's nice to be able to dissasemble and clean/rustproof as well. However this makes it heavier than plastic/rubber handles knives (like the Camp Tramp)

I reckon it looks cool as well - sort of timeless. This shoulldn't matter but hey, these knives are our companions :)

There are some respected outdoors people here who rate the SW very highly however (that Kiwi bloke who lives in France and runs survival courses is one - his name escapes me at the moment).

.....so in the end, my answer inevitably comes down to the bladeforums standard of 'try them both, see which tickles your fancy the most, buy that one then buy the other one anyway - then trade them both for a busstriderenza :D '
 
".....so in the end, my answer inevitably comes down to the bladeforums standard of 'try them both, see which tickles your fancy the most, buy that one then buy the other one anyway - then trade them both for a busstriderenza "

That's funny.

Welcome to the forums. Run a search for the seemingly endless threads on this subject.
Don't forget the BK7.
 
pastorsoup said:
I have found the Rat-7 priced at $75-$80.
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Where did you find it at that price? I've been thinking about picking one up too and getting it that cheap would certainly help me make up my mind. :D
 
averageguy said:
".....so in the end, my answer inevitably comes down to the bladeforums standard of 'try them both, see which tickles your fancy the most, buy that one then buy the other one anyway - then trade them both for a busstriderenza "

That's funny.

Welcome to the forums. Run a search for the seemingly endless threads on this subject.
Don't forget the BK7.
Click to expand...

That IS funny! Also, quite true.

A few years back when I started to get into knives again after getting my gun collection right, a guy on the 1911 forums directed me to Swamp Rat. Am I glad he did! After getting my first Rat and seeing the quality/price I never looked at much of anything else in that price range or cheaper.

BUT.... Once you get quality, you keep heading in that direction, which will eventually lead you to the busstriderenza. LOL At least for me, to the Busse's and Sebenzas. No Striders, yet.

Rob
 
trout #2 said:
Where did you find it at that price? I've been thinking about picking one up too and getting it that cheap would certainly help me make up my mind. :D
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Run a search on Ebay. I found a company there selling them with the "buy it now" option for $74.00 and $6.00 shipping. They are brand new in the box. Not a bad price if you ask me! :D
 
I just went throught the exact same dilemma and I went w/ the Camp Tramp....I'm VERY happy w/ this blade. The slight forward sweep of the blade gives it a perfect balance for chopping. The SR-101 w/ the convex grind is a great combination. I've taken this knife out and chopped down 3 inch trees, build fish spears, shelters, carved axe handles etc that would have left a 1095 (still a good steel in my book) blade very dull. The SR-101 was still able to lift hair off my arm w/ no problems. I simply touched up the edge using a mouse pad and 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper and it was even scarier sharp. I can't recommend this knife highly enough! For the little extra money your getting a good steel w/ higher QC standards, better steel, better grind, and a no questions asked life-time warranty!! You can't beat that!
 
Lobo103 said:
I just went throught the exact same dilemma and I went w/ the Camp Tramp....I'm VERY happy w/ this blade.
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What price did you get the Camp Tramp for? I would love to get the CT, but with other knives like the BK7 for $45, it's hard for me to spend more. Are there any places to purchase the Camp Tramp at a lower price?
 
you can keep an eye out for one in the for sale forums, but they dont seem to come up for sale too often, most people hang on to their CT, i know that i have no intention on ever selling mine.
 
pastorsoup said:
What price did you get the Camp Tramp for? I would love to get the CT, but with other knives like the BK7 for $45, it's hard for me to spend more. Are there any places to purchase the Camp Tramp at a lower price?
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Nope, SRKW only sells online from the shop. No distributor or retail markup involved that way.

If you can at all afford it, go with the Camp Tramp. It IS worth the extra, believe me. If you don't like it, it will sell very quickly on the Exchange at or just less than what you paid. Like was mentioned, you very seldom see them come up for sale. Once someone has one, they are loath to give them up.

The only knives I would rate above my Rats would be my Busse's and that is only slightly. BTW, I've had my CT for about 3 years now and it sees almost daily use. Quite simply, it will be the last knife of that size you will ever need (want is something else LOL )

Rob
 
I have been looking at the rat7d2 for a while,

I have the camp tramp, the camp tramp is a real chunk, it has a feel of being just the right size and weight for whatever comes your way.

If you could handle them side by side, it would be the ultimate, or buy both and sell the one you do`nt want to say, hmmmmmm, ME!

Above all, have a blast making your decision :)
 
Man I just can't make up my mind! I've put a bid on a BK7 so I guess I'll wait and see what happens there. If I don't win that, I'm gonna buy a Rat-7 from: www.soonerstateknives.com for $74.00. At any time between then, if I can come up with some more money, I'm buying that Camp Tramp! :confused:
 
There have been lots of messages about inconsistent heat treatment in most of the Ontario products including the Rat-7. It might be a good idea to do a search on Bladeforums before making your final decision.
 
another vote for the Ranger knives RD7. you can get one for $76 at sagecreekoutfitters.com also check out their exclusive flat ground version with blaze orange G10 scales.

with 1/4" thick 5160, the RD7 is no slicer, but it'll eat wood and such for breakfast. it's a great chopper and camp knife with a great warranty.

the becker's steel is tough, but not as tough as justin's 5160, plus the plastic scales suck. SRKW's SR-101 is also exceptionally tough but if you get one from Swamp rat, and not from the secondary market, you'll have to wait.

i have a RAT-7 D2 and honestly for the price, i should have gotten something else. it's a "regret" knife not because it's a bad knife, which it isn't, but for the price the ranger RD7 is an exceptionally better deal.
 
Another vote for either the Camp Tramp or RD7...I haven't used the BK7, but I've heard good things about that blade. For a little extra $$, you can get a custom RD7 or the outstanding Camp Tramp.

BigBlades.jpg


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I just got out yesterday to do some field tests on the RD7 (Justin did a higher grind for me)...it did exceptionally well, I did most of the tests between the RD7 and the TOPS Steel Eagle (107E). For chopping, triming branches, the RD7 came out on top. I couldn't tell much difference, but both did really well at battoning.

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If the handle on the Swamp Rat bothers you, might I suggest the RD7...it felt great all day.

RD7.jpg


ROCK6
 
Another vote for the RD7. It's the best bang for the buck you'll find, and Justin is a great guy to deal with. For $20 more than retail he'll do it with a higher or flat grind—if that is what you need/want.
 
If you are going to get a rat7,

I think I would consider the d2 version. Have heard a lot of good about d2.

But, I will say that my BK companion is now one of my favorites, the Bk-7 is going to be hard to beat for the money. The handle is easy to modify and makes all the difference in the world.

Becker, if your listening, offer a handle upgrade or two. I think it will pay off many times over.

There is a link where I modified my companion(mistakenly called it a bk7), handle and blade. This knife draws attention wherever I go.

It was suggested to buy micarta blanks for your becker, with this mod, I would put the Becker against any other offering in the price range.

Its a lot of fun to make your knife to meet your own needs. :)
 
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